Marshfield' Library Plaza gets $2.5 million upgrade

June 25--MARSHFIELD -- For the last year, 20-year-old Jake Milani has been enrolled in Marshfield Public Schools' POST program, which serves people ages 18 to 22 with disabilities. In that year, he has had to attend school in three different locations, one of many victims of the program's lack of designated space.

"To have a permanent space in the center of our town is a dream come true," Marshfield Special Education Director Susan Dupuis said. "It's a real commitment from the Marshfield community that education is important."

On Saturday afternoon, Milani and his father Dave were two of about 100 people who showed up to celebrate the unveiling of the town's new Library Plaza, which provides upgraded and permanent facilities for the POST program, the Marshfield Food Pantry, the town's recreation department and the Ventress Memorial Library.

"It's a huge rehabilitation of all these different community places and it's really awesome," State Sen. Patrick O'Connor said. "It's a great investment in the community."

After a four-month delay in construction, the new space was presented to the public at an opening ceremony on Saturday afternoon. Guests gathered in the building's new community room, which features a full kitchen and live-streaming capabilities through Marshfield TV. Library Director Cyndee Marcoux called the new room, which holds up to 120, the most significant part of the library project.

"We really needed the extra space and we can expand our programming now with cooking demonstrations and other interesting things," she said. "Most importantly, it will allow us to use the old community meeting space as a children's room."

The food pantry has been looking for its own building for almost six years, and has been run out of the basement at the First Congregational Church. For the first time in its 25 years of existence, the pantry has its own space.

The town has granted the food pantry a 30-year lease in the new building, for $1 per month in rent. Star Market donated and installed free shelving, and residents donated 18,000 pounds of food through a letter carrier drive in May.

"I'm always astounded and humbled by the generosity of the people of Marshfield," pantry director Jim Hewitt said. "Thank you for filling our shelves."

The recreation department is also getting a piece of the new real estate, with a multi-purpose space that can be used for events, sports for young children, yoga for adults, robotics, arts and crafts and more. There is also a large new playground, called the the Marshfield Kids at Play Plaza, that includes swings, multiple slides, monkey bars and even a recreation of the Isaac Winslow House.

"I really think great things are going to happen," Recreation Director Craig Jameson said.

The $2.5 million project was first approved by town meeting voters in 2014. Construction began in April of last year, after the Boy's and Girl's Club moved into its new home off Proprietors Drive.

"The board of selectmen heard from each of these groups individually and decided to take advantage of the space being vacated by the Boy's and Girl's club and solve all these programs in one fell swoop," Steve Robbins, the board's chairman, said.

The recreation department will start programs in the new center during the week of July 10. For more information, click here.

Mary Whitfill may be reached at mwhitfill@ledger.com.

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